my journey with the barefoot horse

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The Blasphemous Blogger…

You can measure the success of a campaign by the reaction of its opponents.

The other day a commentator on this blog accused me of blasphemy for suggesting that horses are better, happier and healthier if they are freed from their metal shoes.

Blasphemy! Personally, I thought that a bit strong. A touch over the top. Blasphemy is illegal in many countries of the world. In some, it carries the death penalty. Would I have to throw in my passport?

I was told to stop preaching. Because, of course, no equine could walk over stony ground or be ridden properly without the support we humans have contrived with the nailed-on metal shoe.

I was told I probably only rode my horse in an arena where the surface was soft and her bare toes were not challenged.

Here it is, in full. The comment that was made in response to my interview with ex-farrier and former professor of farriery, Marc Ferrador, who warned that ‘Horse Shoes Will Be Obsolete’. (Please forgive the grammar and spelling. English is not her first language.)

She said – ‘Obviously you do not ride outside the box (ie: arena) when you ride the concrete pavement roads this tends to ware off the hoof and when you have to ride down a gravel logging road or drive way or along the edge of the pavement those rocks cause stone bruising which will lay your horse up for a good 6 weeks or more soaking with hot Epsom salts helps but don’t cure it. there are also tiny rocks that will work up inside the the soft hoof walls and cause terrible abscesses and later blow out the whole side wall of the hoof.

‘Linda Chamberlain. I cannot imagine the purpose for your crusade in attempting to teach people the shoeing causes hazards to your horse and its health. you do realize your talking to people who know that horses have been shod for hundreds of years like we were not just born yesterday mmmkay?

‘You take off my horses shoes that would be like taking someone teeth out of their head. make them venerable to stone bruises and abscesses. quit preaching about things you know nothing of. when my horses dont have shoes i cant ride ok? and if i took them off for five years he still would be lame the first rock he crammed into his foot. the only hazards with horse shoes are they are slick on concrete. i dont know who your really going to convince of this blasphemy but if you do they never owned a horse that they rode outside the box. (arena)=box’

Well, I admit, I am no great advert for barefoot horse riding at the moment because my horse has been lame with laminitis. My daughter’s horse is much too careless with my safety to be entertained so I am busy rehabilitating Sophie with walks in hand. I will be back on board very soon as she is looking brilliantly sound and then I will be able to show off my skills.

I don’t have an arena but, when I was riding, you would have been impressed at the sight of the terrain we covered on bare hooves.

I decided to publish the comment it because it made me smile and thought you might like to see it. Mostly. I don’t expect to convince everyone that barefoot is the right foot but never thought my blog would inspire such a backlash.

Then a prominent barefoot trimmer, Lindsay Setchell, who edits Barefoot Horse Magazine, got in touch. She told me a minor accusation of blasphemy was nothing.

‘We’ve had death threats!’ she told me.

My smile suddenly seemed inappropriate. This was no time for levity. I started writing this article just before the shooting of MP Jo Cox and so knew that the climate was not right for the tone I was adopting. I considered dropping the article because I knew death threats, made on social media in particular, were not new. I had come across other trimmers who have faced abusive language and derision. I met one who suffered anonymous phone calls that were deadly in threat and tone. Riders have to defend themselves against the skeptics; it’s not easy and it’s not nice. Why so much hatred?

I asked Lindsay why barefoot horse riding attracted such vitriol. We were mainly a nice bunch of people who were kind and wanted a better world for our animals.

She said: ‘Many people who are pro-shoeing are in a big traditional bubble, they have no clue that if they stepped out of that bubble they would be in an enormous thriving world of successfully barefoot horses.

‘They tend to assume that barefoot is only for certain horses & not for horses in competition or in any amount of decent work. They’re truly not exposed to the amazing things that barefoot horses of all breeds & sizes can do in all different equine disciplines.

‘Because of this, they think that barefooters are few and far between and are either brainwashed, clueless, cruel or mad (or all of those things!). They have been ‘conditioned’ to believe that horses need shoes to stop their feet wearing away, support, balance & protection. Often shoeing professionals are so utterly convinced that shoeing is an absolute necessity that they become blinkered & cannot comprehend what a true healthy foot actually behaves like or indeed looks like.

‘They also see their livelihoods threatened by people who are in their opinion no better than propagandists and scaremongers. They believe the hype that barefoot trimmers have no real training and therefore no clue about feet. All this leads them to bigotry and aggressive and often threatening behaviour….but it is changing!’

There is enough hatred and violence in the world. So I am very relieved to hear it.

And so, this is my message to those who think horses need metal on their feet – Take a look at the equines in this article. They are not confined to a soft arena. They jump amazing heights. Tackle slippery ground. They gallop across the beach. They get dressed up smartly for a show. And they win some rosettes. Without the compromise, or the risk, of nailed-on footwear. Don’t be threatened. Don’t ban us from shows or slight us for being cruel. Find out how we achieve what you might think is the impossible.

I won’t preach any more – Instead, I will let these brilliant hooves from the Barefoot Horse Owners Group on Facebook say it ALL.

About Me – I am a journalist, author and barefoot horse owner. The shoes came off my horses about 16 years ago and now I would never return to shoeing one of my animals so that I could ride him. I recently opened a barefoot horse centre where we have 14 equines discovering the benefits of movement over varied terrain 24/7. (See blog post ‘Sweet Road to Comfort’). I am a regular contributor to Barefoot Horse Magazine and The Horse’s Hoof magazine.

My book – A Barefoot Journey – is an honest and light-hearted account of going barefoot – including the mistakes, the falls, the triumphs and the nightmares. Available on Amazon UKand Amazon US – paperback for £2.84 and Kindle for 99p. Horsemanship Magazine said – ‘The writing is charming, warm, and (gently) brutally honest about a subject which is so obviously dear to her heart and central to her life. The big issues of hoof trim, equine lifestyle and human understanding are all covered. From the agony of self-doubt to the ecstasy of equine partnership, it is all laid out here, clearly and thoughtfully. It really ought to be required reading for anyone thinking of taking their horse’s shoes off.’

Natural Horse Management magazine said – ‘I loved reading this intelligently written book. It’s so good I think every hoof trimmer should hand this book out to clients who are going barefoot for the first time.’

My historical and romantic novel, The First Vet, is inspired by the life and work of the amazing early vet, Bracy Clark – the man who exposed the harm of shoeing 200 years ago! Paperback price £6.99, Kindle £2.24 –Amazon UK. Amazon US. This book has more than 50 excellent reviews on Amazon and a recommend from the Historical NovelSociety. Here’s one of the latest reviews – ‘I work nights & this book made me miss sleep (which is sacred to me) – I could not put it down! I loved the combination of historical fact & romance novel & it is so well written. I’m going to buy the hard copy now – it deserves a place on my bookshelf & will be read again. 10 gold stars Ms Chamberlain!’

If you want to keep in touch, follow this blog or find me on Facebook…Another novel is in the pipeline!

I struggle to take advice on hoof health from someone who let’s her horse get laminitis to be honest. I am very open minded about different methods of trimming and shoeing and believe that you do what best suits your horse. Unfortunately, a lot of bare foot advocates tend to preach and look down at a lot of the other horse community and brand us as naive.

That told me, didn’t it! Yes, to my shame my lovely horse went down with laminitis last Autumn. I hope my experience helps others avoid such a thing happening. Beware rich grass, everyone. My horse got access to it because another horse pushed down the electric fence. A good reason to set up tracks with permanent fencing.

So the wild horses of the Great Basin must need shoes. After all, they live in sand, rock, and slickrock and have to travel 10-20 miles a day to feed and find water. And they RUN through that terrain to escape predators. But I’m sure they frequently get picked off by predators because they’re lame and just can’t handle the terrain. That’s why they’re rounded up and culled every year… because they can’t handle the terrain. {rolling eyes} What causes soft feet are the flat, soft surfaces and living in small contained environments… the environments we provide for OUR convenience (and commercial stabling), not for their health, and then argue that it’s been done for centuries. (That’s precisely WHY humans started shoeing – to counteract the confinement, grain, and standing in their own excrement so they’d be handy for the humans to use, none of which the horse thrives on in the wild.) Ok, I get it. Some people like shoes. I don’t restrict them from riding in events or make threats or call them names/abuse them, so why do they feel the need to lash out at me or others who choose to go barefoot (or bitless)?? The photos above don’t show rocks, but I can assure you I personally know and ride with many people on rocky trails and all the horses do just fiiiiiine. Many of us carry boots “just in case” and usually don’t need them, particularly if you provide an environment at home that mimics what you plan to ride in. A load of gravel/rocks isn’t that expensive. Dump it where they have to walk through it to get to the water. Interestingly enough, when they have room to move and rocks/gravel/varied terrain, they need less trimming and have healthier feet. Sheesh. Isn’t that the real goal? Healthy feet that can protect the horse?

In the 20 years my herd have been barefoot we have been called all sorts, had the RSPCA called on us, because someone thought us riding on gravel was abuse, been swore at, told to grow up and stop dreaming etc etc. My oldest horse is 22 and has never seen a shoe and has done so much without them, Moomin has been a hero, Sophie at 17 is our baby doll who made me become a steadfast barefoot owner, Moo came with rock hard hooves so it wasn’t a thought to change, Soph as a foal unfortunately came here with such poor hooves she needed the walls removing, after growing them back we were warned to never show her, what is the point of growing solid hooves if you are going to put holes in? The other 5 of ours have been born at home, and never would we have thought of shoes and never shall we. Little lightning above is my best games pony and we train on a gravel track, as we too do not own an arena, we use our farm lane to practice, I vault on and off and we make sharp turns, his hooves are amazing. His mum, Sophie, really did a great job with him and his twin brother, both have amazing hooves, proving hers were a result of poor care in a previous home, not genetic, and she herself is a semi retired games pony, her hooves are better than both her sons. It is like arguing with the wind, no matter how much we say and prove that it is good for them, there is always someone blowing massive gusts of insulting hot air our way. Little steps, bit by bit, and we will change a few minds and save a few more horses. Xx

I enjoyed the article but what do you do iff you have only grass’ I have 24/7 turnout no stable a small yard for tacking up but otherwise just fields’ no one large enough to make grass tracks’ I have one that I use at night to get them on to minimal grass with hay’ 2 have had laminitis they do go up a stone track to the day field and I take them out as much as possible’ they are all barefoot’

Hi Pam, I would track the small field you have urgently, especially if you are dealing with laminitics. Good to feed hay 24/7 in your situation so then they at least have the choice of avoiding rich grass. I have known of people who have an area of field or track scraped to get rid of the grass. I used to get my horses to trash an area towards the end of the winter so that it wasn’t so lush in the Spring.